Managing Complexity in Global Organizations

✍ Scribed by Ulrich Steger, Wolfgang Amann, Martha Maznevski

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 313
• Series: IMD Executive Development Series
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book delivers new IMD insights on an emerging challenge - how to deal with overwhelming complexity. Global organizations face a complex decision-making environment. On one side, diversity of cultures, customers, competitors and regulations creates complexity; on the other, competitive pressures cause expanding countries to extract more synergies across products and regions. In such a climate, a new way of thinking, acting and organizing is needed beyond the familiar ‘control’ mindset.

Drawing together insights from across the expert faculty, Managing Complexity in the Global Organization presents IMD’s framework on how to understand complexity and its four key drivers (diversity; interdependence; ambiguity and flux), along with solutions on specific issues in a variety of functions, industries and markets. The focus is on providing practical solutions based on real-life examples.

✦ Table of Contents

Managing Complexity in Global Organizations......Page 3
Contents......Page 7
Contributors......Page 11
Foreword by the Editors......Page 25
Acknowledgements......Page 29
Part I Conceptual Framework and Trends on the Macro-level......Page 31
1 Managing Complexity in Global Organizations as the Meta-challenge......Page 33
2 The Complexity of Managing Corporate Social Responsibility in Multinationals......Page 45
3 Opportunities and Threats in the Global Political and Economic Environment......Page 67
Part II Impact of Changes in the Competitive Landscape and Business Models on Selected Industries......Page 87
4 The Need to Look at Complexity at the Industry Level......Page 89
5 Shipping Organizations – The Ultimate Global Players......Page 91
6 Managing Complexity Caused by Industry Dilemmas: The Case of the Automotive Industry......Page 105
7 Managing Complexity with an Electronic Manufacturing Services Supplier......Page 117
8 Managing Complexity in the Financial Services Industry......Page 133
Part III Solutions for Managing Complexity on the Functional Level......Page 149
9 Breaking Down Complexity Management to the Functional Level......Page 151
10 Complexity in Global Business Strategies: The Cumulative Impact of the Crisis of Choices......Page 155
11 Various Dimensions of Complexity in Effectively Managing the Innovation Process – The Role of China......Page 175
12 Managing Complexity with Diversity Management......Page 187
13 The Role of Information in Creating Value Efficiently......Page 199
14 Dealing with Complexity by Managing the Knowledge-Based Competence of the Organization......Page 221
15 Managing Complexity in Marketing and Supply Chains......Page 235
Part IV Additional Complexity Challenges......Page 259
16 The Price Tag of Ignoring Complexity in the Globalization Process......Page 261
17 Managing Complexity in Mergers and Alliances......Page 269
18 Managing Complexity: The Family Business Experience......Page 279
19 The Future of Managing Complexity......Page 291
Index......Page 295